Key
At the selected date, the colour of each place shows who held it. To learn its story, click or tap a country or marker.
Drag to move · scroll to zoom · click a country or marker
To move the map on a touch screen, drag it. Pinch to zoom, or double-tap to zoom in.
In 264 BC, Rome was one Italian power among several. Carthage ruled the western sea, Alexander’s successor kingdoms divided the east, and the peoples of Gaul, Germania and the steppe held the lands beyond. This situation map, like those by which proconsuls and emperors governed, changes as the centuries pass. Follow Rome’s advance for five hundred years, then see what those victories could not prevent.
The twelve chapters begin with Rome’s struggle against Carthage and the fall of the Greek east. They follow the Republic through civil war to Caesar and Augustus, then turn to the long Roman peace and the crisis, division and unraveling of the most durable empire the West has known. Battles, arrows and boundaries are shown where they happened, as reconstructions. Take the guided tour, or move through the timeline and examine the map for yourself.
Keys: ←→ chapters · space play time · +− zoom · ⌘K search · ? all keys.
You can return to the library of twenty-one atlases at any time: select the balloon at the top left.